Hey Newbies

greg334

Veteran Expediter
Just a bit of advice;

a lot of times a shipper will not have the proper placard for a hazmat shipment, which means that the company will sometimes ask you to get them and charge back the customer. I had a couple shipments like that the last few weeks and an EO lurker had one that no one else could take because of the placard needed isn't sold at any truck stops.

Now many will say the shipper has to provide it but it is a give and take in this business, like his load last night was coming from Mexico via charter plane (yes they chartered a plane just for four pallets of parts) and going to a manufacturing plant only 15 miles away from the airport, the company didn't have a choice but to offer $30 a mile (yes you read right) for that load because of the problem with the placards ... so far he is on his fourth load for this customer since yesterday and has two more tomorrow, which isn't bad all because he did what I advised him to do - order a five plastic placards for odd loads, like Misc Hazmat and 5.2 and keep them just in case. In his case, and in mine for that matter, the $40 we both invested has paid off a number of times.

Remember it is sometimes the little things that you can prepare for so what you can do for that customer that makes money.
 

gospelriders

Seasoned Expediter
have wondered about the certainty of shipper having placards for the load. just thought you could accumulate placards so you would have backups. where did you get placard set for $40? thanks again for posting something we had not thought of.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
I picked up mine through Lable Master, I called them and asked for an assortment plastic placards (5 each) which came to about $40.

JJ Keller has them and if you are with the large carriers (won't mention who), they can get them for you.
 

redytrk

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Once my carrier routed me and paid extra miles so I could pick up placards from our sister co. terminal. Sadly the pay did not come up to the $30 mi Greg got.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
I didn't get the $30 a mile, that was someone else. I wish it was me, I think the total for the work comes to $3000
 
A

Anomaly

Guest
Just a personal opinion from my experience ... keep a copy of all the placards on your laptop, a thin sheet of clear plexiglass and some tape ... print out the hazmat placard, tape it to the plexiglass and you are in business.
 
A

Anomaly

Guest
Cost ... well under five bucks! Reward ... maybe not always thirty bucks a mile!
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
It is a great Idea to print them, if you can get large paper on the printer because see the problem with printing them as needed is the Ohio Hazmat inspector whipping out his tape measure and not getting 10.25" on each side - been there, done that.

There are sites out there that provide a downloadable (printable) files -

http://ian-albert.com/hazmat_placards/
 

gospelriders

Seasoned Expediter
I picked up mine through Lable Master, I called them and asked for an assortment plastic placards (5 each) which came to about $40.

JJ Keller has them and if you are with the large carriers (won't mention who), they can get them for you.



thanks, for the info
 

cableguymn

Seasoned Expediter
It is a great Idea to print them, if you can get large paper on the printer because see the problem with printing them as needed is the Ohio Hazmat inspector whipping out his tape measure and not getting 10.25" on each side - been there, done that.

There are sites out there that provide a downloadable (printable) files -

http://ian-albert.com/hazmat_placards/


Print them on two pieces of paper and tape together. There should be an option for that.

I don't haul hazmat but back in the day I had the aluminum flip ones with the 4 selectiable numbers on my truck. Pretty sure those covered everything.

I had the ones on the right.
transparent.gifhttp://www.uline.com/BL_3959/Flip-file-DOT-Truck-Placards
 
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